steadyaku47

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Sometime in the past one year UMNO regain its advantage over
Pakatan Rakyat….maybe it would be more appropriate to say that Pakatan Rakyat
lost its momentum and UMNO took the lead by default. It was a gradual and
excruciating process played out in the theatre of Malaysian politics but when
it happened we were left in no doubt that Najib had indeed done a “Perak” again
on Pakatan Rakyat!

We were left in no doubt that Pakatan Rakyat was now on the
defensive but with its back still not yet against the wall… but getting there.
Najib had done it by going for DSAI on a personal level. And DSAI had not
learned from the lessons of his past and had inadvertently allowed Najib to lure him into the
spider’s web.

And now DAP and PAS awaits the outcome of DSAI trial. There are
resigned to the thought (rightly or wrongly) that there is nothing else they
can do but wait. While waiting Kit Siang and Hadi will plot the path their own
party will take upon DSAI’s conviction or acquittal. Either way the opposition
is damaged maybe beyond its own capacity to recover. We now know that in a
crisis Pakatan Rakyat reacts after the fact – not before. We now see the
fragility of this union of three political entities where racial consideration
paralysis any open constructive dialogue amongst its leaders : even if it is to
prepare for the possible loss of DSAI to the wheels of justice in Malaysia.
Race and religion are capable of powerful imagery's that would prevent DAP from even trying to impose its thoughts, what more preferences,
onto PKR or PAS. While each play out their waiting game, we wait and see what
they will do.

UMNO has no such limitations. Whatever UMNO will do and can do
will be judged on the effects it will have on the Malays and the Malays alone.
There are enough votes from within the Malays to ensure UMNO victory in the 13th
general election. UMNO has no worry that MCA has been over shadowed by DAP’s
ability to now have the Chinese votes in numbers large enough for UMNO to
considerDAP as a possible
coalition partner in a revamped Barisan Nasional before or after the 13th
general election. Gerakan has as much say in Barisan Nasional proceedings as
the IGP would have in the extension of his term of office after reaching his
retirement age. Give MIC some post in the cabinet and Najib will have his
dessert and eat it too with the Indians.

Najib is set to go. If push comes to shove I believe that Najib
will call in his markers amongst the UMNO warlords and once and for all put
Muhyiddin out of contention for the post of PM. The incumbent will always have
the high ground unless there is a KJ lurking around. Rosmah may be a pain the
neck for us all but for Najib she is his rock. Anybody would want to have
Rosmah in their corner when the going gets tough.

So where does that leaves Mahathir? I think we are giving too
much credit to the old man. For the media he makes for good copy. For us he
always has interesting things to tell. In the bigger picture of UMNO politics
one thing Mahathir will not do is give money out in the manner that UMNO
stalwarts are used to. So what can the old man offer this time? Maybe, just
maybe the PM’s post for Muhyiddin. One post for one man when there are many in
UMNO waiting for their ship to come in? No, not only willMahathir not dish out money he does not
have the means to decide where power will reside within UMNO’s first tier
leaders. Whatever power he might have is only perceived to be so – he cannot
guarantee delivery. Without that ability UMNO will pay lip service to Mahathir –
nothing more, nothing less. Even now Mahathir is history…he still has his story
to tell but he is history.

Najib has everything and more telling, he is not beyond using
that “everything” to remain PM. Over 30 years of politics at the very top makes
any one that little bit more aware of what is needed to ensure victory. All
that stands between Najib and the PM’s job is the possibility of his past and
present personal indiscretion being aired in public. If nothing has come out
until now then nothing will. Najib is good to be PM – he knows it, he wants it
and he has done enough to ensure that he gets what he wants.

UMNO runs a tight ship. It only loses people it no longer wants
or can afford to lose. What happens in UMNO normally stays in UMNO and those
that strays from UMNO does not stray too far. Power, money and more money are
all powerful persuaders and potent aphrodisiac to those wanting to be alpha
males. And UMNO has plenty of them.

If Pakatan Rakyat can wake themselves from the stupor they are now in then there might still be time to take the high ground again
if the people can be persuaded that Pakatan Rakyat’s cakap is serupa bikinDSAI rather then to face the prospect of DSAI been convicted
square on and start the process of finding a replacement. To do so is simply
common sense and good governance given BN’s ability to dictate to the judiciary
if they so chooses.

As it is now the damage is done. Pakatan Rakyat no longer has a
blank cheque to do what it feels it must to win the 13th GE. Now the
people will question their every move and be critical of any decision PR makes
in their march towards Putrajaya. I for one will no longer treat PR with kids
gloves and pull my punches when making my comments on what they do in Malaysian
politics. I know for a fact that I am not alone in these thoughts and we do so
because we want Pakatan Rakyat to fight the good fight with Barsian
Nasional come the 13th general election.

VIDEO from Australia Network News

The High Court has ruled against the Australian Government's refugee swap deal with Malaysia, throwing into doubt the future of the scheme.

The deal was put on hold following a challenge from two asylum seekers who were scheduled to be among the first to be transferred to Malaysia from Christmas Island.

Lawyers for the pair argued Australia could be in breach of its international obligations because it could not guarantee the rights of those sent to Malaysia, a view the High Court has sided with.

The court also dismissed the Government's argument the individual deal ensured the rights of asylum seekers sent to Malaysia would be protected.

While the ruling is a major setback for the Government, one international law expert says it does not necessarily close the door on the scheme.

Professor Donald Rothwell says the Government can now seek to change the migration and immigration acts.

"There certainly would be a political solution for the Government in seeking to modify and adjust the legislation so that they could circumvent some of the legal issues the High Court raised," he said.

But any such move would require cross-bench support.

Under the proposed deal Australia will take 4,000 refugees from camps in Malaysia in exchange for the Malaysian government accepting 800 asylum seekers who arrive by boat at Christmas Island.

The
migration from the Indonesian Archipelago to the Malay Peninsula has to a large
extent defined what Malaysia is today. I for one am a product of Bugis sailors
(or pirates if you want to be more dramatic) stopping off the Malay Archipelago
seeking toshelter from a storm on
their way to Mecca? (if you want to be religious) …take your pick!

The
British facilitated the migration of others to meet the manpower requirements
of their colonial economic endeavors for their motherland, the then Great
Britain. Throughout our history migration has given us the impetus we needed to
develop as a nation. And now will migration be the cause of our nation’s
collapse because political and not economical considerations is the primary
consideration of this Barsan Nasional government driven by UMNO?

In
the 1960’s Indonesian migration into Malaya was encouraged by UMNO to maintain
a numerical advantage over the Chinese and the Indians. The May 13th
riots provided the stimulus for the NEP which not only provided employment and
economic opportunities for the Malays but also demanded an increase in
Indonesian workers in order to meet labour shortage due to the rapid
modernization of the Malaysian economy.

With
the advent of the NEP, Malay youth began moving into the urban area. The dearth
of rural labour was filled by Indonesians workers.

As
Malaysia urbanize during the 1990’s Indonesian labour moved from agriculture to
the construction and service industry. In 1997 Indonesian labourers earned
$0.28 cents per day in their country versus RM$2 or more a day in Malaysia. The
exodus of legal and illegal workers was unprecedented!

With the increase in the
numbers of these Indonesian workers – both legal and illegal – the ad hoc
manner by which the migration was being managed by the BN government became apparent.

This manifested itself by
the authorities inability to monitor the situation when these Indonesian
workers started to present a host of social problems that begun to plague
Malaysia. At the same time Malaysia lacked the political will to enforce
existing laws diligently. Why is this so?

The paradox of BN cronies
being able to make more money out of these illegal immigrants even as more
measures against these illegals are being enforced is testimony to the fact
that where there is a Ringgit to be made, BN with its cronies, it’s rank and
file and its attendant government officials will be there to partake in the
spoils. What they did with their abuse of the Ketuanan Melayu they then did
with this illegal Indonesian workers situation.

These opportunists
facilitated the transportation of illegal Indonesian workers into Malaysia,
provided them with accommodation and jobs, took part in the manufacturing and
distribution of fake passports, identity cards and work
permits without worry of persecution : all under the paternal gaze of its own
BN government – complicit at the highest level, in its silence and lack of
political will to do anything to police the worsening situation - all for financial gain!

Illegal immigration is big
business – big enough to warrant the existence of an all consuming human
trafficking syndicates with connections to politicians and government at
the highest levels that “protect” them from any undue interference from the
authority – who themselves would have a financial stake in the successful
conclusion of these “business” undertakings.

Corruption and the manner
in which bureaucracy works within the government does not in anyway assist
the implementation and enforcement of any legislation already in place to
manage the situation.

And so the stage was set
for what we have today.

What has been a problem
area for the government since Merdeka days has now become an opportunity to:

·Secure a massive voting bank for UMNO.

·Has become an ongoing source of income for

politicians and
government authorities involved in

this illicit business.

What was once a source of
worry for the Islamic traditions of Malaysia because most of the Indonesian
here are Christians and are at time s engaged in the spreading of deviant
Islamic teachings - these Indonesians are now “Bumiputras” for the purpose of political expedience.

What was once the cause of
mob violence and riots inside and outside detention centres:

These are no
longer jeopardizing the security of our country but instead these people will
now be permanent residents with the right to vote (for UMNO!).

While the DAP and NGO’s had
once championed these same Indonesian workers for being unjustly treated by the
BN government, the same Indonesian workers are now coming back to
bite the hand that feeds it by voting for UMNO.

In October 2001 the BN
government passed legislation that capped work permits for foreign workers to
three years specifically to address the frequency of criminal acts perpetrated
by Indonesians migrants – changing immediately by that legislation, the status
of those workers that carried six year work permits from legal to illegal.

This resulted in riots at
the Machap Umboo detention centre in Alor Gajah.

As a result flogging for illegal
workers were ordered and detained illegals were sent home.

Under Malaysian
rules stipulated in the Immigration Act (Amended) 2002, unauthorized workers
can be sentenced to mandatory jail terms for up to five years, receive up to
six strokes of the cane, and fined up to RM10 000.Malaysians who employ illegal migrant workers can be jailed
for three months and fined RM5 000…and there was even the “Hire Indonesian Last”
policy encouraged by the BN government.

All this has now come to
pass and the BN government now welcomes these same illegal immigrants as a
potential vote bank critical to UMNO’s survival in the 13th general
election!

Can this really happen?
Will UMNO do this just to win an election? Yes they will do this and more!

What we have in UMNO now is
a wasteland of Malay leaders whose preoccupation is acquiring wealth and power.
You need power to acquire wealth & and wealth to acquire power - a synergy that blurs itself into one
definitive acronym: UMNO.

Is not the right to vote
the most precious of a citizen’s right?And now this right to vote is cheapen because even those who come into
this country illegally, does not speak Malay, knows nothing about Islam or our
culture are now on par with us because UMNO need
these votes for their political survival?

What a sad day for us. For
our people. For the Malays, the Chinese, the Indians, the Dayaks, Ibans and all
the people of our beloved country.

The immediate result will
be an increase in voters numbers for UMNO as these grateful new citizens
show their thanks to UMNO by voting for UMNO in the 13th GE. Immediate gains for UMNO to be traded against an uncertain future for us all?

How can consideration for
national security be pushed aside to secure political gain for UMNO? Instead of
putting into place policies to manage this potential threat to national
security UMNO is legislating to “legalize” this threat for political
considerations!

Let us recap:

There are probably up to
one million illegal Indonesians currently employed in Malaysiawithout valid work permits and travel
documents. Many have been involved in criminal activities enough for the
Malaysian authorities to deem them as a threat to national security.

Indonesians make up 74% of
legal and illegal foreign labour in Malaysia.

It was once estimated that
up to 36% of prison inmates

throughout Malaysia were
illegal Indonesian immigrants

What is more worrying is
the involvement of these Indonesian workers in crimes and act of social
aggression.

Monday, August 29, 2011

Like
the many marriages of UMNO leaders who takes two or even more wives, the
marriage of UMNO and business has always been for reasons other then love. More
often then not these marriages are driven by lust on the part of the men while
their ‘trophy wives’ pursue their aged and senile quarry yearning for the
spoils that would come their way after doing the horizontal mambo with these
aging Lotharios!

The
marriage of UMNO and business is also without love. It is a self serving
marriage of convenience that involves the selling of the executive decision
–making process at all levels of government to the highest bidder. Money and
politics is the root of all political evil. It is corruption at its very worst.

And
nothing accentuates this abuse then the lack of accountability in the private
and corporate funding of UMNO and its BN components.

In
most countries there are legislation and policies in placeto ensure that corporate and private
funding of political parties are regulated through disclosures to ensure that
there is no link to corrupt transactions that can be used by the political
parties to increase their personal and party’s income. The public is able to
monitor the disclosed funding and with this knowledge the public is empowered
into active advocacy and monitoring of the political process.

In
Malaysia State and Federal power are used to direct resources to support UMNO’s
and its coalition partners in the pursuit of winning elections. This undermines
the basis of the democratic process that our country professed to practice. It
was during the time of Mahathir that this practice started in earnest, was
perfected and even encouraged to prosper by no lesser person then the Prime
Minister himself.

What
is different today is this:There
is now the ability of the public and the alternative media (as opposed to the
government media) to interrogate UMNO and its BN component on these matters –
as I am now doing!

The
growth of corporate power has also created opportunity for these same corporate
entity to align themselves with emerging political alternatives to the Barisan
Nasional which not only takes away said funding from BN but over time will be
exploited by these emerging forces to cause the demise of UMNO and it’s Barisan
Nasional component party

No
sensible Malay would argue against the need of the NEP or Ketuanan Melayu. It
was clear that legislation was needed to ensure its success because persuasion
alone will not make it a reality. Ownership of business alone is not the ends
of this Ketuanan Melayu – it includes management control, employment equity,
skills development, enterpriseand
corporate development – as it should. And so government and businesses are
obligated by legislation to award tenders, contracts and business opportunities
to Bumiputras individuals and entities.

Against
this background has grown the plurality of government and business that is now
being recklessly abused by UMNO. Also evident is the spectacle of Politicians
pursuing wealth – great wealth!It
has also led to the common charge of cronyism, influence peddling and the
creation of an UMNO aristocracy while the majority of Malays and other
Malaysian bear the brunt of these abuses of political power.

These
abuses are now institutionalised within UMNO’s and the government. These abuses
has been promoted by polices that are protected and even encouraged to flourish
by state and federal policies, state and federal protection and preferences and
now operates extensively through the UMNO and Barsian Nasiona networks.

Ketuanan
Melayu has been misapplied for political or personal gain.

But
that is not to say that this same Ketuanan Melayu policies have not benefited
many Malays – it has! But the same policy is also open to abuse by the same
politician that seeks to advance it.

But
as we the public clamour for accountability, UMNO and its component parties
stubbornly demanded for the status quo to remain as they have so much to hide.

Is
transparency in political finance a Utopian dream in Malaysia?

The
ketuanan Melayu issues has already been perverted by government officials, BN
politicians and party officials wanting to make fast money on party connections
and via sources that are potentially corrupting.

We
know that the relationship between money and politics have been at the heart of
every major scandal in Malaysia…and it involves the Prime Minister down.Will the narrow mindedness of UMNO to
focus simply on the acquisition of personal wealth and political power prove
eventually to be self destructive to UMNO?

IN
Malaysia money buys influencepoliticiansand trophy
wives – and not necessarily in that order. A culture of transparency and
disclosure must start to take roots now within BN and Paktan Rakyat if our
country is to survive .

Talking
about transparency and good governance without legislation that can be
implemented and enforceable seems to be the way to go for this Najib’s
administration. What would it take for him to see that we the public has had
enough of politicians making biased decision to advance the commercial interest
of those to whom they are beholden? Let Pakatan Rakyat also be cognizance of
this demand by the people from whom they will expect much of in the 13th
general election if they are to govern. Not to do so would be political suicide
for Barsian Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat!